Tow recorded a game-high dozen tackles as the Cardinal defense limited the Trojans to just 71 yards of offense, while Chirpich completed 17 of 24 passes for a game-best 237 yards and four touchdowns to power Fairmont's 26-0 non-league triumph over Worthington.

"The bottom line - it was a tale of two halves," Cardinal head coach Mat Mahoney said in reference to his offense's narrow 6-0 lead at intermission. "Our offense finally settled in and executed almost perfectly in the second half."

After linebacker Jay Ruen and Fairmont's defense forced a three-and-out opening sequence to start the third quarter, Chirpich commanded the red-and-white's air attack to strike paydirt during the hometown lineup's first three possessions of the second half.

Chirpich spotted sure-handed split end Luke Becker early and often during the nine-play, 56-yard offensive march downfield. Chirpich and Becker hooked up for completions of 19, 7 and 15 yards, respectively, before the lethal connection capped the scoring drive with an 11-yard strike for a 12-0 lead with 5:57 left in the third.

"Once he had pass protection, Chirp was spot on in hitting his receivers, and they, in turn, made the key plays by catching what he threw," said Mahoney.

Defensive tackle Kory Brown and Fairmont stymied Worthington's next offensive series to force another punt, and Chirpich utilized his tight spirals to reach the end zone again.

Running back Ben Abel churned out 24 of his game-best 37 rushing yards, while Chirpich fired a 4-yard completion to Joe Weber before capping the scoring march with a 20-yarder to fleet-footed Josh Eversman. Eversman also garnered the opening half's only TD, gathering in a Chirpich aerial before sprinting the last 60 of the 84-yard six-point play with 10:20 left in the first frame.

Eversman's second TD in as many catches, followed by Kolin Kelly's PAT kick, extended the Cardinals' lead to 19-0 with only 4 seconds remaining in the third.

Tow delivered a quarterback sack for a 7-yard loss before end Luke Peterson dropped the Trojan running back for a 12-yard loss on third down to create another Worthington punt.

Chirpich then spread the field and the wealth with his passes during the next drive, firing a 23-yarder to Becker, a 15-yard strike to Abel and a 10-yard post completion to Ruen for the TD.

Kelly's PAT kick gave Fairmont a 26-0 lead with 6:59 remaining in regulation.

"We played hard-nosed defense tonight, especially in the red zone. Worthington had a couple of early opportunities inside our 20 and our defense stopped them cold," Mahoney said in reference to the Trojans' outstanding field position inside the Cardinals' territory on the heels of fumble recoveries by Peter Abraham and Zach Kempema during the second quarter.

Cole Emler produced a clutch interception in the end zone for a touchback to stymie one of Worthington's early drives.

Becker pocketed a game-best eight catches for 81 yards and one TD for the Cardinals.